Latch for doors, gates, and the like



H. R. KELLERMAN.

LATCH FOR DOORS, GATES, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED 1m28. 1.919.

1,350,258. .Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

UNITED S'IAres PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY RALPH KELLERMAN, OF SYDN SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 vHENRY PE'IRIE FLETCHER, OF SYDNEY, NEW

-SOUTH WALES,` AUSTRALIA.Y

LATCH Fon Doons, AGATES, AND THE LIKE.

` Be itknown that T, HENRY RALPH KEL- LERMAN, a subject oli' the King of Britain, residing at 30 Heeley street, Pad dington, Sydney, in the State of Newv South lVales, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented newl and nse'ful Improvements in Latches for Doors, Gates, Yand the like of which the following is a speciiication This invention relates lto latches ordoors, gates andthe like and has been devised to provide a latch having a detachable operative lever which can be readily withdrawnfrom one side of the latch and insertedin the opposite side thereof, thereby rendering the latch suitable for application to either a right-hand or a left-hand door orgate as may be required.

The invention -is particularly adapted ior use on the doors oi' motor cars and like vehicles, in which latch bolts are-operated lby levers extending upwardly withinV the doors andiprojecting outwardly from slots formed in the top thereof. The latches commonly used for this purpose are I nade and sold ordinarily in pairs, one being suitable only for a right-hand doorandlthev other only for a left-hand door. y

By Vproviding a latch suitable for either a near or an off-*side door manufacture is according to thefinvention greatly simplified as only one pattern need be made andthe costoi' the articles is thereby reduced.

The inventionalso furnishes means whereby, in the event of a door being slammed, kthe operative lever is not forcibly moved in the slot at the top of the door. The risk of injury to a persons fingers attendant on the use of latches of ordinary, type is thereby avoided.

The invention when being appliedto4 a door requires the removal of vonly a small amount of the woodwork, and when fixed thereon will be found durable and secure. .v

According to the invention there is provided in a door or gate latch a spring con; trolled latch bolt slidably movable in Vguides on a base plate, fulcrum. pins in the base plate v`on opposite sides of said bolt, a reversible lever for manual. operation of the latch bolt which is capableot1 detachable connection 'with either of the fulcrum pins Y to adapt the latch to a right-hand or a left- Great' Specification 0f Letters Baten@ Patented Aug. 17, 1920; Application med Januaryes, 1919. serial No. 273,632.

lever in position. Means are provided for rigidly holding thev operating lever when a panying drawings illustrating the inventionv f in'fpreferredv constructions and wherein Y Figure 1 is a view in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2 Fig. i.'

Fig. -illustrates in side elevation a modification. Y

Fig. 4is a transverse section on the line 444mg. al y mi. Fig. 5 illustrates in side elevation al further modification.

The numeral 1 .designates a base plate made of suitable metalof required thickness or gage and provided at its front end with ailange vor laterally bent `portion 2 preferably formed integrally therewith. In the iiange 2 is formed a centrally disposed opening or hole 3, in which slidably fits a latch bolt 4` having at its rearward end and preferably-` integralv therewith a crosspiece 5.

-Parallelly disposedI stemsr rigidly secured to said cross-piece 5 extend rearwardly therefrom and arejguided inholes 7 formed inthe lange 8 oian angle plate 9 which is detachably -ixed 'by screws 10 to vsaid base plate 1.

Springs 11, mountediupon saidgstems, are interposed between said cross-piece 5 and the flange 8 of said angle plate 9. vThis flange -forms a fixed abutment against which the rearward ends of said springs 11 bear,

Voperative lever as 14.

This lever 14 isl located in front of the cross-piece 5 and is passed through va recess or opening 15 formed in the latch bolt 4. This recess 15 is made ci greater width than the lever 14. 'Byl this means the bolt 4 is rendered capable of *movement independis` moved rearwardly in opposition to the v springs 11 and the latch bolt 4 is drawn inwardly through the opening 3, thereby releasing a door to whichthe latch is afiixed.A

In order to prevent endwise movement of the lever 14, which might effect `a disengagement of theslot y16 from the -pin 12, said lever 14 is provided with a rearwardly extending tongue or lug 17 which lits freely into a slotted opening 1S formed transversely in said cross-piece 5. Y

If it is required to convert they latch'to suit a right-hand or a left-hand door as the case mayV be, pressure is applied to the cross-piece 5 or to the latch bolt 4 in a rearward endwise direction', thereby compressing said springs 11. Vhen the cross-piece 5 has been pushed inwardly for a sufiicient d istance the tongue 17 will clear said slotted opening 18, thereby permitting the lever 14 to be drawn endwise out of the latch. Said lever 14 is now reversed orturned over, inserted in the opposite side of the latch and moved into. the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1 with the slot 16 in engagement with the opposite fulcrum pin 12.

The latch is now ready Vfor application to a door which opens in the opposite direction to a door for which said latch was suitable before the lever 14 was withdrawn. Y Normally when the latch bolt 4 isin its outermost kor engaged position, `the crosspiece 5 Vunder the action of the spring 11 holds the forward edge of the lever 14'in V contact with the pin 12 andbeneath the head 13 thereof. Said pin 12 limits the outward movements Vof the latch bolt 4 and at the sametime effectively prevents rattling of said lever 1 4. For the latter purpose also said .cross-piece 5 can be recessed or undercut as .at 19. It will be understood that one of said pins 12 forms the fulcrum of the lever 14, while the' opposite pin. 12 forms a stolp for said lever and latch bolt.

t will be observed that thecross-piece 5 is free `to move inwardly without taking with it the lever 14.. Therefore, there is removed the risk, due toslamming of a door, of a persons lingers becoming jammed between Vsaid'lever 14 and the end of the slot' in a door, which jamming is apt to occur with latches wherein theV operative leversV arepivotally connectedto the latch bolts.

Y VIn assembling the latch, thelatch bolt 4 is lforce is Vrequired inserted through the opening 3` from the inner side thereof. The springs 11 a're then of the latch, as hereinbefore described. v

In the modifications of the invention illus! Vtrated in Figs. 3- to 5, the cross-piecel 5is yeliminated andsaid latch bolt 4 is provided with a rearwardly extending stein 6. The

then placed in position on the` required side rearward end of this stem passes through a hole 2l made through a lug 8a formed integrally with said base plate 1. A springll is mounted upon said stem 6 being vinterposed between the end of said latch bolt 4 and the lug 8a. Y Y

The latch bolt 4 can be arranged centrally on the base Yplate 1 as is shown in Fig, 5 o r it may be located to one side of the center line thereof as is shown in Fig. 3.

Said latchbolt 4 is provided with arecess 0r opening 15 and the rearward end of the latter is rounded to form a cam face :20 against which the Yrearward side of the opei'- ating lever 14 is adapted to bear.

The base plate 1 isprovided with alternative headed fulcrum pins 12 and said lever 14 is capable of insertion into the latch from either` side to render the latter capable of application to a right-hand or a left-*hand door as required.

In the arrangement shown inV Fig. 3, the distance between the fulcrum pin 12 andthe cam face 20'canbe increased without unduly increasing the width of said *base plate .1,V l.

thereby reducing theV length of the arc through which it is necessary to move the upper end of said leverv 14 when operating the latch bolt 4. For this purpose duplicate openings 3 and holes 7 are formed in said 1 flange 2 and lug Sa, respectively, on opposite adapted to fit said pin 12.

iio I The rounded slot 21 is furnished with a Y Vnarrow entrance 22while the slottedV end of said lever 14 is spring tempered. By this means the sides of said slot 21 are enabled to spring apart when said lever 14 is being engaged with or disengaged from said fulcrum pin 12. When the pin 12 is in posi` tion in said lslot 21 Y considerable endwise from position.y v Y In an alternative arrangement for preventing accidental displacement of said lever to dislodge the leverV 14 iso 14 thefsame is provided with a laterally formedslot 23k adapted to engage said pin 12 in lieu of slots 16 and 21, as hereinbefore described-see F ig. 5.

In order to withdraw said lever 14 when so constructed, the upper end thereof is pushed forwardly and its front edge pivots upon the upper fulcrum pin 12. The latch bolt 4 is moved inwardly and the lower end of the lever 14 moves backwardly from the lower fulcrum pin 12. When said slot 23 has cleared the pin 12 the lever 14 is pulled out laterally as before described.

For many purposes it is desirable that the latch bolt 4 should, be capable of operation by a movement of theoperating lever 14 either' to the right or left of itsv normal upright position.

A second lateral slot 24v can be provided in said lever 14 at a distance above the slot 23 equal to the distance between said fulcrum pins 12. The latch bolt will then be withdrawn, if the lever'14 be moved either backwardly or forwardly, the pins 12 forming alternate fulcra for the opposed movements.

'When the lever 14 is drawn rearwardly the lower fulcrum pin 12 will be the operative one, and'said lever 14 will'be of the second order, while if said lever 14 be pulled forwardly it will be of the first order and the upper pin 12 will be in operation.

1When the latch bolt 4 is in its locked position both slots 23 and 24 are engaged withtheir respective pins 12, and are held in posi- Y tion beneath the heads -13V thereof. It will be observed that in the normal locked position both pins 12 form in association a stop which limits the forward movement of said lever 14. This arrangement will be found most effective for preventing rattling` of said lever 14 which is apt to be caused by vibration when the latch is applied to the door of a motor car or other vehicle.

To insert or withdraw a lever 14 so made,y

the latch bolt 4 is pushed inwardly for a sufficient distance to allowL said slots 23 and pins and having its motion limited by the opposite pin. f

2.' A reversible lock for vehicle doors, having a base plate, a flange atone vend of said base plate, an angle plate detachably fitted to the opposite end of said base plate, an opening in said flange, holes in saidan- ,gle plate, a latch bolt slidably fitting said by the opposite fulcrum pin, and means for preventing endwise displacement of said lever.

3. A reversible lock for vehicle doors,

having a base plate, a liange at one end of the base plate, a lug on the opposite end of said lbase plate, an opening in said flange, a hole formed inthe lug and in alinement with said opening, a latch bolt slidably fitting said opening, a stem on said latch bolt fitting said hole, a spring on said stem, a recess in said latch bolt, a cam face in said tion from either side of the lock into said and positioned on opposite sides of and equally distant from said latch bolt, and lateral slots formedk in said lever and fitting said pins, either pin forming a fulcrum for said lever, and both pins in association providing a stop for said lever.

4. A reversible lock for vehicle doors having a base plate, flanges on the opposite ends of said base plate, duplicate openings in one of the flanges, duplicate holes formed lin the opposite flange and inalinement with said openings, a latchbolt slidably fitting either opening, a stem formed on `said latch bolt and slidably fitting either hole, a spring on said stem, a recess in said latch bolt, a cam `face in said recess, an operative lever capable of insertion from either side of the lock into ysaid recess, alternative fulcrum and stop pins for said lever, and a slotted spring end on said lever. y

Y In testimony whereof I aix in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY RALPH KELLERMAN.

. Witnesses: y

N. STARFIELD, H. C. CAMPBELL.

my signature l recess, an operative lever capable of inser- Y' recess, headed pins fixed 1n the base plate, 

